Mother's Day brunch recipe: Stuffed French toast
Do this for mom, or because you are a mom who doesn’t want to spend Mother’s Day cooking for your family. The delicious casserole is a different from your typical French toast: the slices stand on their sides and layered vertically with the cream cheese-berry mixture. It is made the day before, and on Sunday all you (or they) have to do is stick it in the oven and set a timer. Oh, and stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk to drizzle over the top. They can handle that, right?
Berry and Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast Overnight Casserole
24 ounces French baguette
8 ounces cream cheese
3 teaspoons vanilla, divided
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, divided
1 ½ cups fresh blueberries, divided
1 ½ cups sliced strawberries, sliced, divided
6 large eggs
2 cups + 1 tablespoon milk, divided
1 cup sugar, divided
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1. Coat a 9 x 11 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cut the baguettes across — but not quite all the way through — into 1-inch slices. Form three rows lengthwise in the prepared baking dish.
3. Use a hand mixer, blender, or food processor to beat the cream cheese and 1 ½ teaspoons of the vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth. Gently stir in 1 cup of the blueberries and 1 cup of the strawberries. Spoon the filling in between the baguette slices.
4. Whisk the eggs lightly; add 2 cups milk, ½ cup of the sugar, and remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla and whisk until well-combined. Pour over the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the remaining ½ cup sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake 40 minutes until the custard is set. Allow to cool slightly.
6. Meanwhile, stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk and remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Drizzle over the casserole and serve sprinkled with the remaining fresh blueberries and strawberries.
MAKES 9 SERVINGS